Popular Posts from 2013...

Today I am sharing "And Away We Go's!!" most popular posts from 2013. It's never too clear to me why some posts get more traffic than others. Maybe an idea resonates with pinners and strikes them as useful. Maybe it's the simplicity of a project. Or,  maybe it's the combination of marshmallows and chocolate that is generally irresistible! One thing is for sure, when Jen Jone's from I Heart Organizing features a post the traffic will go through the roof! At any rate, the people of the blogisphere found the following posts interesting and I am so happy to have had them noticed!!

DIY Yoga Mat Strap

Organizing Kids' Medicine

A Fun Way to Learn Letter Sounds

 

Cake Batter S'more Cookies

Homemade Honey & Almond Granola

Fabric Covered Storage Bins

Simple Mason Jar Decor...

There seems to be no end to the decorating and organizational possibilities of the classic Mason Jar.  It's classic design is well recognized and it's function stretched to the limits! This year Ball released the Heritage Collection, a blue mason jar that comes in vintage inspired packaging. These blue jars have been all over the web, inspiring DIY decorators once again!

I thought that the Heritage Collection would be hard to locate, but was pleasantly surprised to find that they are readily available at many of the stores I shop in every week! I grabbed a box of six and am now trying to decide how to best use them! Look at all of these fabulous ideas...

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And they look so pretty with fresh flowers!

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So many beautiful options... can't wait to get started!

You can check out how I decided to use my Mason Jars here!

Mermaid Tail Tutorial

Good morning! I hope everyone is having a fabulous week! Today I am sharing a Mermaid Tail Tutorial at Mimi's Dollhouse! This is the mermaid tail that my friend Jenn gifted to all of the little princesses as they arrived at her daughter's birthday party. The "Under the Sea" party was an amazing success. Jenn never fails to go completely overboard with food, decor and games. She used fun custom printables from Mimi's Dollhouse for her invitations as well as banners, cupcake circles and thank you notes. I will be back later this week to share a few more of Jenn's creative Mermaid Party ideas, but in the mean time, take a minute to check out my Mermaid Tail Tutorial!

Isn't she adorable!!

Here is a link to the Christmas Craft Party that Jenn and I hosted together. I just loved collaborating with someone who loves throwing a great party!

Guest Post - Painted Wooden Spoons!

Today I am happy to have Jessica, from Prairie Girl to Southern Belle, back to share a simple Painted Wooden Spoon project. The colours she has used are so fun! What a great way to add some flare to an everyday task! I'm thinking I need a wooden spoon upgrade!

Hey there! It's Jessica from Prairie Girl to Southern Belle and I'm so excited that Leanne asked me to share one of my favorite things with you!

The other day I dipped my spoons. And you know what? I love them!

I ran to Lowe's and picked up some of those cute little paint samples. I plan to use them for lots of projects around the house, so stop by my blog and see if you can spot these colors around my place. These colors make me happy!

I painted the handles of my wooden spoons and then stuck each one upside down
a glass so they could dry.

So far I haven't needed to seal the paint in any way. The paint isn't ever in the food and I always wash my wooden spoons right away. No problems to report! And they look so cute sitting on the counter by the coffee pot in an old blue Mason jar! (Which, by the way, they are producing again this year for their anniversary...go get some when you find them!)

I love these spoons!

Why not make the things and spaces you use every day pretty?

DIY Herb Markers

One of my favourite things about summer cooking is the availability of fresh herbs! I love to grow our favourite herbs in our garden so that we always have what we need on hand. For us, Basil and Cilantro are tops, but we also enjoy Dill, Rosemary and Mint. In the off season, I like to keep a pot of basil in the kitchen to add to salads and pasta. Now that the warm weather is coming, I thought I would put together a small herb garden that can easily be moved outdoors for summer. This little garden would be a great gift idea of Mother's Day or even for your child's teacher at the end of the school year!

I found this adorable galvanized steel planter set at the dollar store and knew that it would be perfect for the project. I had an idea for some DIY herb markers as well, so I purchased one sheet of small white tiles from The Home Depot. The other supplies included clothespins, washi tape, a sharpie and some potted herbs.

To make the herb markers, I cut out letter stencils with my silhouette, spray glued them to the tile, and filled in each letter using a black sharpie. The stencils peeled off of the tile easily.

Next, I carefully wrote the full name of each herb along the bottom of the tile and then used hot glue to attach them to a clothespin. 

I added some washi tape to the planter tray, popped the plants in the pots and attached the herb markers!

I am absolutely in love with this little herb garden! I had planned on gifting it to someone, but I think I may need to make a few more! The whole project only took about thirty minutes! I'm wondering what other items could use a new little tile label!

Mother's Day Sharpie Mug

Happy Monday everyone! Today I am over at The Taylor House sharing a fun Mother's Day craft. This Sharpie Mug is quick, inexpensive and great for all ages! I hope you check out the "How To" here.

A fun way to learn letter sounds...

Convincing preschoolers to work on learning their letter sounds is not always an easy task. Finding fun and creative ways to work on this skill is important but can be difficult. Using objects like clothespins (they keep busy hands busy!) and centering activities around your child's interests (superheros all the way at our place) are great ways to get your kids excited about learning.

Andrew has been able to name his letters for awhile now, and he is getting pretty good at identifying intial letter sounds. I wanted to utilize clothespins in an activity to work on this skill and I came up with the idea of using photos of his friends at daycare. I used the online photo editor Pic Monkey to create a printable card with all of his buddies' smiling faces, and stuck their initials on clothespins for a fun matching game.

I was so happy with the finished product that I decided to print one off for each of his friends! I also, thought it would be a good idea to make some name pins for when they need a new challenge.

Creating the printable was really straight forward so I made up a couple of printable options for anyone who might be interested! Superheros and Princesses never seem to get old, so print off what your little one likes and have some fun!

PDF (with letters and names)

PDF (with letters and names)

Linking Up

Pin Junkie - Friday Link Party

The Taylor House - Pinterest Power Party

Pinterest Power Party!

Hello! This week I am so excited to be a co-host to the fabulous "Pinterest Power Party". Pinterest is the website that undoubtedly peaked my interest in the blogging world, and continues to inspire me to try new projects! If you are stopping by from The Taylor House, Living on Love and Cents, or one of the other co-hosts' sites, I hope you take some time to look around!

I can't wait to see what everyone has to share today!

Welcome Back to our weekly Pinterest Party! Every Thursday we will be hosting a linky party that focuses on YOU, the readers! Do you have an amazing DIY project, a frugal gift idea, or even a delicious recipe that you want to share? Well, we want to see them and share on our Pinterest Board’s too!

How do I participate?

Easy!

First, Be sure you are a Pinterest Follower of the Hosts as well as the co-hosts!

Living On Love and Cents

The Taylor House

Sew Much Crafting

This Week’s Co-Host’s! Be sure to stop by and say hello!

And Away We Go {Follow On Pinterest}

Blog: And Away We Go

Welcome to the Mouse House {Follow On Pinterest}

Blog: Welcome To The Mouse House

Daily Dose of Del Signore {Follow On Pinterest}

Blog: Daily Dose of Del Signore

Let’s Party!!

Help us spread the word and share the Party button above on your blogs too!

Then link up your favorite projects below, also, pin the two before yours! Or, keep going and Pin as many as you would like!

But, wait! There’s More!

Be sure to stop back every Thursday to see the featured Pin’s from the week prior! We will be sharing the top five most viewed projects from the week prior!

If you were featured be sure to grab a badge and wear it proudly on your blog!

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Would you like to co-host with us? We have openings in some of our upcoming parties for people who would like to join us! Just send an email to cmaetaylor@yahoo.com to find out which dates are available!

Are you ready to party and get your Pin on?

Here are the features from last week!

1. 30 Minute Easter Skirt from Welcome To The Mouse House.

2.  A Touch Of Spring from Alderberry Hill.

3.  Photographing Your Kids from Rags to Stitches.

4.  Infinity Towel from Justina Who.

5. Banana’s For Chocolate from Type A Baker.

6.  Garlic Noodles from Learning The Ropes One Recipe at a Time.

7.  Chicken Fajitas from Pint Sized Treasures.

8.  Mini Sloppy Joe Biscuit from Crafty Mix Adventures.